‘There Is Nothing Impossible in This Plan’ – Ukraine at War Update for Sept. 17

The 58-year-old man who was arrested after he was spotted wielding an assault rifle on the grounds of Donald Trump’s golf course in Florida on Sunday had self-published a book called “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War” and voted for Trump in 2016, later saying he “had made a terrible mistake.”

Coincidentally, AFP had interviewed the suspect, Ryan Routh, in April 2022 at a rally in Kyiv shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

“Putin is a terrorist, and he needs to be ended,” he told the AFP correspondent. “So, we need everybody from around the globe to stop what they are doing and come here now and support the Ukrainians to end this war,” he said, one cheek painted in the blue and yellow of Ukraine's flag, the other in red. 

Routh was spotted by US Secret Service hiding in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, just a few holes ahead of the former president and his guest, who were walking from the fifth to the sixth hole. Agents reported that they opened fire on Routh, who then fled the scene in a black Nissan SUV, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase along Interstate 95.

Florida sheriffs deputies stopped him and now faces charges of illegal weapon possession. Law enforcement said that Routh did not fire the rifle at agents or at the Republican presidential nominee, but as a convicted felon, he was not legally allowed to own or carry a firearm in Florida.

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Prosecutors are expected to assemble additional charges of attempted murder, given the circumstances of the arrest and perhaps Routh’s own published remarks about Trump.

Routh, who is neither registered as a Democrat nor Republican, said he had voted for the populist real estate investor in 2016, but in 2020 he wrote on social media that he had “misjudged” Trump and “made a terrible mistake.”

Trump and his far-right allies have regularly acted to torpedo Washington’s aid to Kyiv.

On his since-deleted social media accounts, Routh said he was ready to “fight and die” in Ukraine and tried to organize Afghan fighters to join Ukrainian ranks against the Russian invaders, The New York Times reported,

In his book, co-authored with Kathleen Shaffer, he asks in the marketing blurb, “When is it acceptable to kill another human being?"

NATO leader suggests it would be a mistake for allies to continue restrictions on missiles used on Russian territory

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that while the decision to allow Kyiv to launch long-range strikes on Russian territory depends on individual allies,  the specter of a Kremlin victory in Ukraine would far outweigh those risks.

In an interview with British outlet LBC, the outgoing secretary general stated diplomatically that it is “for the individual allies to make these decisions, but it’s important that we consult closely on these issues as we do.”

“There are no risk-free options in the war. But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us will be if [Russian leader] Putin wins in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said over the weekend that talks are continuing with US President Joe Biden and other allies about allowing Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles, an idea that Lammy carefully broached during his visit to Kyiv last week alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Referring to the conversations on he subject between London and Washington, Stoltenberg said, “I welcome these developments and these decisions but its for individual allies to make the final decisions.”

On Sunday, the White House’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a video conference with Kyiv that, rather than a question of political will to green-light the missiles’ use in Russia, it was a matter of “difficult and complicated logistics.”

Sullivan said that Biden intends to “put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail,” and noted that the US President will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart later this month at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

UN defends territorial integrity in any peace negotiations

When asked by reporters about US Republican vice presidential candidate and Trump running-mate JD Vance’s position that Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine be considered “de-militarized zones” as part of any peace deal, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General was clear that this is not how the international body sees it ending.

“I will simply repeat our position, which is that we want this war to end in accordance with international law, in accordance with the UN Charter, and in accordance with the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Stephane Dujarric responded.

According to a Ukrinform correspondent in attendance, Dujarric clarified that his comment was “not a reaction” to the statements of politicians, but the position of UN leadership.

Vance also put forward the idea that Ukraine would only retain its sovereignty if it agreed not to join NATO or other “allied institutions,” while the Biden administration and many other European allies have been clear that Ukraine will join NATO when the time is right.

Meanwhile, on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “over ninety percent” done with drafting the Victory Plan he will put before allies next week.

“The necessary steps for Ukraine have already been clearly defined,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. “The steps designed to give us the strongest possible position to bring about peace – a real, just peace.”

“There is nothing impossible in this plan,” he said. “Together, this package can ensure the right development of the situation not only for Ukraine but for everyone in the world who values international law.”